https://doi.org/10.24928/2020/0124

Implementation of Production System Design in House Building Projects: A Lean Journey in Chile

Karina B. Barth¹, Marcus P. Sterzi², Carlos T. Formoso³, Juan I. Alliende⁴, Daniela Bertín⁵ & Jorge Del Rio⁶

¹PhD Candidate, NORIE, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Consultant and Managing Partner at LD Consulting, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0001-9612-6246
²MSc, NORIE, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Consultant and Managing Partner at LD Consulting, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-2235-944X
³Professor, Building Innovation Research Unit - NORIE, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-4772-3746
⁴Engineer, Innovation Department, Socovesa Group, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002- 9844-2143
⁵ Engineer, Management Control Department, Socovesa Group, [email protected], orcid.org/0000- 0002-5994-7392
⁶ Engineer, General Construction Manager, Socovesa Group, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002- 3450-830X

Abstract

Production system design (PSD) is a key process at the beginning of any manufacturing effort. It can be regarded as an initial planning task that involve a set of decisions that play an important role in the implementation of core Lean concepts, such as pull production, batch size, takt time. Despite its importance, very little attention is usually given to PSD in construction projects, and its relationship with the implementation of the Last Planner System (LPS). This article reports the experience of a construction company that has implemented PSD and the LPS, as part of the development of an improvement program in production management based on the Lean Philosophy. This company is based in Chile, and its core business is the development and construction of residential building projects. The implementation of PSD, and the LPS were the means for the adoption of a number of Lean principles and concepts, including pull production, takt time, work-in-progress control, reduction of batch size, and process transparency. Six main benefits of implementing PSD have been identified: (i) formalizing and making explicit planning decisions; (ii) reduction in uncertainty; (iii) improving planning accuracy; (iv) facilitating the adoption of cycle times and takt time control; (v) increasing the engagements of stakeholders; (vi) improving production stability. A set of practices were proposed for implementing PSD and these were classified according to decision categories.

Keywords

Production System Design (PSD); Last Planner® System (LPS); Production Planning Control; Takt Time Planning; Location-based Planning and Control

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Reference

Barth, K. B. , Sterzi, M. P. , Formoso, C. T. , Alliende, J. I. , Bertín, D. & Rio, J. D. 2020. Implementation of Production System Design in House Building Projects: A Lean Journey in Chile, Proc. 28th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC) , 397-408. doi.org/10.24928/2020/0124

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